fflarl  Mtmar 


a  biography  by 
William  Romaine  Hodges 


THIS  EDITION  IS  LIMITED  TO  1100 
COPIES.  EACH  COPY  IS  NUMBERED 
AND   REGISTERED,  THIS    BEING 


Copy   No. 


CARL  WIMAR 


CARL  WIMAR 

A  BIOGRAPHY 

BY 
WILLIAM  ROMAINE  HODGES 


CATALOGUE  OF  PICTURES  AND  ILLUSTRATIONS 
FURNISHED  BY 

CHARLES  REYMERSHOFFER 


GALVESTON,   TEXAS 

PUBLISHED  BY  CHARLES   REYMERSHOFFER 

I908 


COPYRIGHT    1908    BY 

CHARLES    REYMERSHOFFER 

Galveston, Texas 


237 

v. ;/  H  £> 


O  ESPECTFULLY  dedicated  to  the  Missouri 
*^"  Historical  Society,  whose  work  in  the  col- 
lection and  preservation  of  the  annals  of  the 
State  of  Missouri  and  of  the  City  of  St.  Eouis, 
5*  for  generations  the  outpost  of  Western  civiliza- 

tj         tion,  commands  and  deserves  the  highest  corn- 
is         mendation. 


o 
o 

o 

a 

LU 


446094 


Author's  Preface 

nr*HIS  book  owes  its  existence  to  the  unselfish 
■*■  interest  and  extensive  research  of  Mr.  Charles 
Reymershoffer,  who  by  acquiring  one  of  Wimar's 
most  important  and  spirited  works,  "Buffalo 
Hunt  by  Indians,"  became  impressed  not  only 
with  the  genius  of  the  artist,  but  with  the  fact 
herein  set  forth,  that  Wimar  was  the  first  to 
appreciate  and  worthily  utilize  pictorially  the 
Indian  and  buffalo. 

The  basis  of  this  biography  is  an  article  by 
the  writer,  published  in  1881  in  the  American 
Art  Review  and  illustrated  by  the  distinguished 
artist  Harry  Chase,  which  was  the  first  recogni- 
tion of  Wimar  by  an  art  journal  of  acknowledged 
authority.  A  large  portion  of  the  historical 
data,  together  with  the  catalogue  and  ownership 
of  the  Wimar  pictures  is  due  to  the  investigations 
of  Mr.  Reymershoffer,  who  at  his  own  risk  and 
without  hope  of  profit  produces  this  work  as  a 
contribution  to  the  art  history  of  our  country. 


BUFFALO  HUNT  BY  INDIANS 

As  these  phases  of  human  life  have  now 
passed  away,  never  to  be  renewed,  it  seems 
important  that  the  memory  of  them  should  be 
perpetuated .  — Schoolcraft. 


1 


HARLES  FERDINAND  WIMAR,  or  Carl 
Wimar,  according  to  the  shorter  form  which 
he  himself  preferred  to  use,  is  the  name  of  a 
painter  whose  biography  will  not  be  found  in 
most  of  the  popular  works  relating  to  artists; 
yet  the  productions  of  few  American  painters 
possess  so  great  an  ethnological  interest  as  his.  Born  at 
Siegburg,  Germany,  February  19,  1828,  he  came  to  America 
at  the  age  of  fifteen. 

At  that  time  St.  Louis  was  a  frontier  town,  and,  as  it 
was  the  headquarters  of  the  American  Fur  Company,  large 
numbers  of  Indians  made  annual  pilgrimages  to  the  place  for 
the  purpose  of  exchanging  furs  for  such  commodities  as  were 
needed  in  their  savage  life.  Their  dealings  were  almost  exclu- 
sively with  the  French,  who  settled  upon  the  spot,  selected  as 
a  trading  post  by  Pierre  Laclede  Liguest,  in  178  I,  and  the 
American  Fur  Company  was  controlled  by  his  descendants. 
There  was  no  antagonism  between  the  French  and  Indians. 
I  say  the  French,  although  Americans  by  birth  and  an  ancestry 
extending  back  through  succeeding  generations  for  more  than  a 
century,  they  still  retained  the  language,  traditions  and  customs 
of  the  original  settlers.  It  was  no  uncommon  thing  for  a 
Frenchman  to  have  an  Indian  wife,  and  in  some  cases  he  would 
conform  to  the  usages  of  both  civilized  and  savage  races  by 
having  a  white  wife  in  St.  Louis  and  a  dusky  one  among  the 
tribes  of  the  Far  West. 

In  1843  Wimar  and  his  mother,  Mrs.  Becker,  one  step- 
brother, three  step-sisters  and  a  cousin  emigrated  to  America, 
his  step-father,  Mathias  Becker,  having  previously  emigrated 
and  settled  in  St.  Louis  in  1839.  The  family  located  on  the 
outskirts  of  the  town,  near  the  favorite  camping  ground  of 
the  Indians,  being  the  blocks  between  Thirteenth  and 
Fourteenth  Streets,  near  Olive  Street,  soon  to  be  occupied 
by  the  Public  Library.  The  shy  German  lad  soon  became  a 
favorite  with  them.  One  warrior  of  noble  presence  took 
an  especial  fancy  to  the  boy.  He  went  with  him  into  the 
woods,  and  taught  him  the  use  of  Indian  weapons.  The 
Indian  was  pleased  with  the  enthusiasm  of  the  youth  and  his 


unaffected  delight  in  whatever  he  saw,  while  to  the  young 
German  all  was  new  and  strange.  The  growing,  bustling 
western  village,  with  its  population  of  restless  frontiersmen,  the 
mild  and  equable  climate  and  months  of  almost  uninterrupted 
sunshine,  the  sense  of  freedom  experienced  in  the  virgin 
forests  and  on  the  far-reaching  flower-bedecked  prairies,  was, 
to  one  fresh  from  leaden  skies,  the  drowsy,  commonplace  life 
characteristic  of  a  German  village,  the  consummation  of 
happiness.  A  strange  companionship  was  this  between  the 
stoical  savage  and  the  timid  boy  from  the  Old  World.  The 
Indian  was  always  welcome  at  Wimar's  home,  where  he 
would  go  without  ceremony,  open  the  door  softly,  and  glide 
noiselessly  into  the  family  room,  and  startle  them  into  a 
knowledge  of  his  presence  by  the  salutation  ' '  How  ? "  Of 
what  inestimable  value  to  the  future  artist  was  this  intimate 
association  with  the  Indians  at  the  age  when  his  mind  was 
so  susceptible  to  lasting  impressions  !  His  association  with 
the  savages  was  not  the  result  of  idle  curiosity  merely,  but 
was  devoted  to  close  and  intelligent  study  of  their  half-nude 
forms  and  picturesque  costumes.  The  art  instinct  was  inher- 
ent and  the  dominating  force  of  his  life,  as  it  must  be  with 
every  artist  worthy  of  the  name.  With  the  dawn  of  intelli- 
gence to  such  as  he,  comes  the  perception  of  things,  man, 
earth,  sky,  clouds,  sunshine,  mountains,  streams,  foliage, 
shadow,  all  create  impressions  which  to  the  multitude  do 
not  exist,  and  with  it  an  impulse  to  interpret  and  portray; 
so  early  in  childhood  his  slate  and  pencil  were  most  often 
employed  in  attempts  to  express  the  stirrings  of  art  within 
rather  than  the  tasks  assigned. 

Wimar's  parents  were  poor,  and  it  was  necessary  that  he 
should  become  a  producer  as  well  as  a  consumer.  It  was 
decided  that  he  should  learn  a  trade,  and  when  consulted  as 
to  his  preference  he  at  once  expressed  a  desire  to  become  a 
painter  ;  so  his  step-father  took  him  to  the  shop  of  A.  C. 
Wilgus,  a  house  and  steamboat  painter,  that  being  his  con- 
ception of  the  boy's  wish,  but  he  had  in  his  mind  a  certain 
ornamental  and  fresco  designer  as  approaching  more  nearly 
his  ideal.  He  found  his  master,  Leon  De  Pomarede,  appre- 
ciative and  sympathetic.  He  soon  discovered  the  latent 
talent  of  the  boy,  and  entrusted  him  with  the  more  important 
work  of  his  establishment,  such  as  pictorial  signs,  and  more 

12 


LOST  TRAIL 

Also  called  "War  Trail."  This  painting 
was  owned  by  Wm.  Lucas.  Destroyed  in  the 
Pettes  &  Leathe  fire  St.  Louis  1882. 


than  one  "prairie  schooner"  and  patent  medicine  vendor's 
caravan  which  traversed  the  western  plains  bore  the  handi- 
work of  the  future  artist.  He  became  a  workman  of  rare 
skill,  not  fettered  by  conventional  forms,  but  with  an  imag- 
ination capable  of  originating  designs  altogether  surprising  to 
his  fellows.  He  was  always  prompt  and  cheerful  in  the 
discharge  of  his  duties,  at  all  times  industrious  and  reliable, 
excepting  on  the  occasion  of  the  arrival  of  a  fresh  band  of 
Indians,  when  the  old  passion  would  come  over  him,  and  in 
utter  forgetfulness  of  all  else  he  would  seek  companionship 
with  the  red  men. 

One  can  imagine  the  ecstasy  of  such  a  boy  when  brought 
in  contact  with  man  the  antithesis  of  all  previous  conceptions. 
Primeval  man,  such  as  existed  countless  centuries  before  the 
pyramids ;  before  in  the  delta  of  the  Nile  by  learning  to  till 
the  soil  man  took  his  first  step  toward  civilization,  ages  before 
Menes,  Sargon,  Moses  or  Abraham.  Of  the  period  before 
there  existed  even  a  pictorial  expression  of  human  thoughts, 
the  precursor  of  the  hieroglyphs,  the  key  to  which  was  lost 
far  back  in  the  twilight  of  mythical  ages  and  only  recovered 
within  the  memory  of  living  men.  Men  living  entirely  by 
the  chase,  loosely  clad  in  the  skins  of  wild  beasts,  which 
when  cast  aside  revealed  forms  as  superb  as  those  which 
inspired  Phideas,  their  teepees,  trappings  and  primative 
weapons  barbaric,  picturesque.  How  strange  that  with  the 
exception  of  Catlin  none  of  our  early  native  artists  seem  to 
have  been  impressed  by  or  conscious  of  the  boundless  mine  of 
artistic  material  distinctively  American  and  at  their  very 
doors,  but  blindly  following  tradition  should  have  been  con- 
tent to  weakly  imitate  the  Old  Masters  in  the  well  worn  fields 
of  mythology  and  allegory,  and  that  it  should  remain  for  this 
German  boy  to  first  worthily  portray  the  North  American 
Indian  in  the  wild  freedom  of  the  mighty  West.  How  strange 
that  no  one  should  have  done  in  pictorial  art  what  Fenimore 
Cooper  accomplished  in  fiction. 

It  is  at  this  period  in  the  life  of  the  young  painter  that 
the  most  romantic  incident  of  his  picturesque  career  occurred, 
and  one  which  was  to  prove  the  stepping  stone  to  the  fulfil- 
ment of  a  longing  which  otherwise  would  have  been  impossible 
of  accomplishment. 

13 


In  the  humble  domicile  of  the  Beckers  one  day,  a  poor, 
emaciated  wayfarer,  homeless  and  sick,  rested  and  craved 
shelter  and  assistance.  Poor  as  the  family  was,  they  took 
pity  on  him  and  offered  him  of  their  frugal  store.  The  needy 
one  was  a  Pole,  of  refined  appearance  and  evident  education. 
The  family  asked  no  questions  of  their  guest,  who  on  his  visit 
became  ill,  but  they  nursed  him  until  he  had  been  brought 
back  to  health.  In  his  days  of  convalescence,  the  stranger's 
interest  in  the  poetic,  gentle  lad,  with  his  courteous  ways  and 
his  great  love  for  art,  was  aroused.  He  spoke  to  him  and 
his  father  of  the  opportunities  that  the  boy  would  have  in 
Europe  for  study,  but  they  shook  their  heads,  for  such  was 
not  for  them.  The  Pole,  whose  name  seems  never  to  have 
been  asked  by  the  charitable  Beckers,  after  his  complete 
recovery  left  the  hospitable  roof,  with  many  expressions  of 
gratitude.  For  years  no  tidings  came  from  the  stranger. 
Carl  continued  to  paint  wagons,  houses,  steamboats  and  sign- 
boards, and  had  almost  forgotten  the  cultured  Pole. 

One  day  while  he  was  on  a  boat  with  his  employer, 
coming  down  the  Missouri  River  from  a  sketching  expedition, 
he  was  informed  that  he  had  fallen  heir  to  a  small  fortune. 

The  Pole  returning  to  his  own  country  came  into  a  sum 
of  money.  Being  stricken  with  fatal  illness,  before  his  death 
he  made  out  his  will  in  favor  of  the  son  of  the  family  by 
whom  he  had  been  sheltered  and  befriended.  The  bread  cast 
upon  the  waters  by  the  big-hearted  German  family  had  been 
returned,  and  Carl  Wimar's  dream  was  at  last  to  be  realized. 

In  1849,  before  this  money  was  bequeathed  to  him, 
Wimar  made  a  journey  to  the  Falls  of  St.  Anthony  with  his 
employer,  to  make  studies  for  a  panorama  of  the  principal 
points  of  interest  on  the  Mississippi  River  from  that  point  to 
its  confluence  with  the  Ohio.  The  tribes  of  Indians  met  by 
them  near  the  Falls  of  St.  Anthony  afforded  fine  opportun- 
ities for  study.  Soon  after  his  return,  the  way  was  unex- 
pectedly opened  to  him,  as  just  related,  to  realize  what  had 
heretofore  been  scarcely  a  cherished  hope,  and  he  joyfully  set 
out  for  Duesseldorf  in  1852.  On  his  arrival  there  he  became 
a  pupil  of  Prof.  Joseph  Fay,  a  German  painter  of  distinction. 
Fay  made  the  mural  paintings  in  the  City  Hall  in  Elberfeld. 
Later  he  became  a  painter  of  historical  subjects,  among  his 
best  known  works  being  "Romeo  and  Juliet."     He  died  in 


THE  BUFFALO 

Theodore  Roosevelt  speaks  of  the  Buffalo  in 
a  letter  to  the  Secretary  of  the  American  Bison 
Society  as  "The  biggest  of  the  American  big 
game,  probably  the  most  distinctive  game 
animal  of  this  continent  and  certainly  the 
animal  which  played  the  greatest  part  in  the 
lives  of  the  Indians,  and  which  most  deeply 
impressed  the  imagination  of  all  the  old  hun- 
ters and  early  settlers.  It  would  be  a  real 
misfortune  to  permit  this  species  to  become 
extinct,  and  I  hope  that  all  good  citizens  will 
aid  the  society  in  its  efforts  for  its  preserva- 
tion . ' ' 


1875.  Winiar  writing  home  in  1854  says,  "I  have  a  studio 
at  Mr.  Fay's,  brother-in-law  of  Oswald  Achenbach,  in  the 
same  house  with  him.  The  Achenbachs  are  very  nice  people. 
In  America  they  are  as  celebrated  as  over  here  ;  this  is  shown 
by  the  enormous  sums  they  receive  for  their  works.  I  saw 
here  in  the  Society  of  Artists  at  the  time  of  a  feast-meal,  a 
paper  and  pencil  laid  before  Andreas  Achenbach  and  Leutze 
and  they  drew  anything  that  entered  their  minds,  and  their 
drawings  were  immediately  sold  to  the  highest  bidder,  and 
large  sums  were  paid  therefor,  so  much  everybody  desires  to 
have  even  a  few  lines  from  their  hands.  I  shall  make  some 
drawings  for  the  Kuenstler  Album  which  will  be  engraved. 
There  is  nothing  in  it  financially,  however  it  is  considered  a 
great  honor.  They  call  me  the  Indian  painter  and  many 
thought  I  was  a  descendant  of  the  Indians."  He  afterwards 
became  a  pupil  of  Prof.  Emanuel  v.  L,eutze. 

While  at  Duesseldorf  several  of  his  most  important  works 
were  executed.  Among  these  was  "  The  Captive  Charger," 
now  owned  in  London.  This  I  regard  as  technically  the  best 
of  all  his  works.  It  is  a  powerful  composition,  illustrative  of 
the  war  of  extermination  between  the  races,  without  the 
revolting  details  which  by  their  presence  would  not  add  to 
the  force  with  which  the  story  is  told,  but  cause  one  to  shud- 
der at  the  unnecessary  portrayal  of  human  ferocity.  A  small 
party  of  Indians  have  killed  an  army  officer,  who  had  doubt- 
less ventured  too  far  from  camp,  and  are  hurrying  away  with 
his  horse  and  accoutrements.  The  eye  of  the  finely  modelled 
charger  shows  by  its  angry  glare  that  he  realizes  the  fate  of 
his  master  and  the  character  of  those  into  whose  hands  he  has 
fallen.  The  cowardly  savages  know  the  dire  vengeance  which 
will  swiftly  follow  the  discovery  of  their  crimes,  and,  as  they 
make  their  way  through  the  prairie  grass,  they  look  eagerly 
around  for  signs  of  the  dreaded  enemy.  A  gorgeous  sunset 
fills  the  western  sky  with  gold  dust,  and  tints  the  clouds  with 
crimson.  The  swarthy  forms  of  the  savages  are  edged  with 
sun-rays  reflected  from  sky  and  cloud.  The  glory  of  the 
heavens  divert  the  attention  in  a  measure  from  the  hideous 
story  of  hate,  the  conflict  between  savagery  and  civilization, 
begun  with  the  advent  of  the  white  man  upon  the  Atlantic 
coast,  and  which  terminated  after  a  series  of  desperate  and 
hopeless  conflicts  following  the  extermination  of  the  buffalo. 

15 


During  his  stay  at  Duesseldorf  he  also  painted,  in  1854, 
under  the  direction  of  Prof.  Leutze,  "Attack  on  an  Emigrant 
Train,"  which  was  purchased  by  former  Governor  Hamilton 
R.  Gamble  of  Missouri.  It  represents  an  emigrant  train  on 
the  prairie  attacked  by  Indians.  Using  the  wagon  as  a 
stockade  the  white  men  are  trying  to  beat  off  the  savages.  It 
was  too  common  an  incident  of  the  western  trails  half  a 
century  ago,  and  frequently  the  only  record  left  of  the  con- 
flict would  be  the  wheel  tires  and  iron  work  of  the  burned 
wagons,  and  a  few  skeletons  bleaching  amid  the  waving  grass 
and  blooming  flowers  of  the  prairie.  This  picture  was  first 
exhibited  at  the  St.  Louis  Annual  Fair  in  1869,  obtaining 
the  first  prize,  and  also  at  the  "Retrospective  Exhibit  of 
American  Paintings  at  the  World's  Columbian  Exposition" 
at  Chicago  in  1893.  While  under  the  instruction  of  Leutze 
he  is  said  to  have  painted  a  series  of  four  pictures  illustrating 
the  abduction  of  Daniel  Boone's  daughter.  They  were  pur- 
chased by  John  A.  Brownlee,  then  a  prominent  merchant  of 
St.  Louis.  One  of  them  is  now  owned  by  August  A.  Busch, 
one  by  Mrs.  John  T.  Davis,  another  by  Mrs.  Julia  Blanke  of 
St.  Louis.  What  became  of  the  fourth  picture  is  not  known. 
He  also  painted  a  number  of  portraits  of  residents  of  St. 
Louis. 

In  1860  originated  "The  Buffalo  Hunt"  which  was 
purchased  by  Dr.  Van  Zandt  and  afterwards  bequeathed  to 
the  St.  Louis  Art  Museum.  In  the  Fall  of  this  year  occurred 
the  opening  of  the  Gallery  of  the  Western  Academy  of  Art, 
which  was  in  a  manner  inaugurated  by  such  distinguished 
visitors  as  the  Prince  of  Wales,  visiting  this  country  under 
the  title  of  Baron  Renfrew.  Accompanying  the  Prince  and 
his  suite  was  Lord  Lyons,  the  British  Embassador  at  Wash- 
ington. The  Prince  and  his  companion  Lord  Lyons  were 
highly  pleased  with  the  fine  collection  of  paintings  and 
especially  greatly  admired  the  Western  scenes  painted  by 
Wimar.  Among  these  was  exhibited  the  Van  Zandt  "Buffalo 
Hunt ' '  of  which  Lord  Lyons  commissioned  Wimar  to  paint  a 
replica,  which  was  finished  the  same  year  and  sent  to  England. 

In  1861  Wimar  painted  his  largest  Indian  picture  "Buffalo 
Hunt  by  Indians."  This  was  painted  especially  for  Mr. 
Henry  T.  Blow  of  St.  Louis,  one  of  the  founders  of  the  West- 
ern Academy  of  Art.    The  subject  is  treated  entirely  different 


BUFFALO  HUNT 

Original  in  possession  of  The  Fine  Arts 
Museum  of  St.  Louis.  Replica  of  this  picture 
ordered  by  Lord  Lyons,  British  Ambassador  at 
Washington,  who  with  the  Prince  of  Wales, 
now  King  of  England,  visited  St.  Louis  in 
September,  1860. 


than  that  of  the  Van  Zandt  picture.  According  to  noted 
ethnologists  and  Indian  chiefs  the  Indians  depicted  in  this 
painting  are  either  Osages  or  Pawnees.  Col.  W.  F.  Cody 
(Buffalo  Bill)  in  writing  about  this  picture  states,  "The 
Indians  are  pictured  true  to  nature  as  they  used  to  be  in  the 
early  days,  etc."  Indians  who  have  seen  photographs  of 
this  work  pronounce  it  a  realistic  representation  of  the  Fall 
buffalo  hunting  contest,  which  was  an  important  event  in  the 
days  when  the  red  man  and  buffalo  inhabited  the  plains. 
This  painting  has  been  loaned  to  the  St.  Louis  Museum  of 
Fine  Arts,  where  it  is  at  present. 

On  Wimar's  return  to  America  in  the  Winter  of  1856-1857 
he  found  that  wonderful  changes  had  been  wrought  in  his 
absence.  The  visits  of  the  Indians  had  almost  ceased,  as 
they  had  been  forced  upon  reservations  in  the  Far  West,  and 
agencies  established  to  care  for  them.  His  small  capital  had 
been  nearly  exhausted,  and  he  felt  the  chilling  influence  of 
an  atmosphere  entirely  devoid  of  art  sympathy.  Still  he  was 
as  enthusiastic  and  as  completely  absorbed  in  his  favorite 
theme  as  ever.  The  American  Fur  Company  had  a  chain  of 
forts  on  the  Upper  Missouri  River,  and  during  each  season 
one  or  more  steamboats  were  sent  to  the  mountains,  as  it  was 
called,  to  convey  government  stores  to  the  Indian  reserva- 
tions, and  bring  in  return  furs  obtained  from  trappers  and 
Indians.  On  these  steamers  Wimar  was  enabled  to  penetrate 
to  the  heart  of  the  hostile  Indian  country,  where  he  spent 
three  seasons  in  the  arduous  and  dangerous  task  of  studying 
the  savages.  He  provided  himself  with  a  photographic 
apparatus,  recommended  to  him  by  his  old  friend  A.  J.  Fox, 
photographer,  still  a  resident  of  St.  Louis,  and  in  addition  to 
the  great  number  of  studies  made  in  oil,  crayon  and  pencil, 
he  secured  a  quantity  of  photographic  memoranda  which  was 
invaluable  to  him. 

A  letter  describing  the  first  of  these  journeys  in  1858 
written  by  Wimar  and  published  in  the  Duesseldorf  Journal 
gives  so  vividly  his  experiences  and  impressions  that  its 
translation  is  here  inserted  : 

' '  During  the  month  of  May  I  commenced  my  tour  to  the 
Indian  country,  accompanied  by  the  United  States  Indian 
Agent,  Col.  Vaughan,  but  was  informed  when  we  arrived  at 
Sioux  City  that  I  had  chosen  rather  a  dangerous  companion, 

n 


as  considerable  hostility  existed  between  that  officer  of  the 
Government  and  many  of  the  most  warlike  tribes.  Taking 
this  matter  well  into  consideration,  and  after  consultation 
with  my  traveling  companion,  Capt.  Konstantin  Blandowsky, 
who  fought  in  the  Hungarian  Revolution  (afterwards  killed 
at  Camp  Jackson  at  the  outbreak  of  the  Civil  War,)  it  was 
considered  a  better  policy  to  join  ourselves  to  the  American 
Fur  Company,  who  were  in  better  odor  among  the  nations. 
This  we  accordingly  did,  but  were  not  so  much  benefited  by 
the  change  as  we  anticipated,  for  the  agent  still  pressed  him- 
self upon  us. 

"The  Indians  whom  we  first  encountered  were  the 
Yanktonnais,  who  were  camped  about  300  strong  on  the 
Missouri  River.  The  spectacle  presented  by  them  was  very 
imposing,  and  as  we  neared  them  they  came  to  the  shore  and 
paraded  before  us,  dressed  in  the  most  gaudy  style,  but  were 
seized  with  the  utmost  panic  when  our  steam  organ  (Calliope) 
began  its  music  and  only  after  its  melodies  had  died  away  in 
the  distance  did  they  appear  to  become  quiet.  You  may  rest 
assured  that  I  lost  no  time  in  arranging  my  photographic 
apparatus,  and  was  enabled  in  the  short  space  allowed  me  to 
take  several  groups;  their  chiefs  then  came  aboard  and  formed 
a  council  to  treat  with  the  agent.  The  debate,  however,  was 
quite  protracted  and  stormy,  and  ended  in  the  refusal  of  the 
tribe  to  accept  the  usual  annual  presents  proffered  them  by  the 
Government.  We  were  rejoiced  to  depart  without  serious  mis- 
fortune, for  we  feared  much  trouble;  the  agent  also  partici- 
pating in  our  surmises  to  such  a  degree  and  being  aware  of 
the  fact  that  the  Indians  higher  up  the  river  were  still  more 
savage  and  uncompromising  than  those  we  had  just  visited, 
thought  it  advisable  at  Fort  Randell  to  take  on  board  a  com- 
pany of  soldiers  for  our  protection. 

"At  this  point,  which  is  about  130  miles  from  and  above 
St.  L,ouis,  the  Ponkas  and  Brulees  came  aboard  and  accepted 
their  presents  quietly,  on  account  of  the  soldiers,  (long  knives.) 
At  the  next  stopping  point,  we  encountered  the  Yanktan 
Indians,  numbering  about  300  men,  who  were  all  thrown 
into  a  high  degree  of  excitement  by  the  appearance  of  the 
soldiers,  and  it  was  only  after  long  persuasion  that  they  were 
prevailed  upon  to  accept  the  donation  from  the  United  States 
Agent.     Although  the  whole  of   the  tribe  dressed   in    their 

18 


BUFFALO  DANCE 

More  properly  entitled  "Bull  Dance,"  a 
religious  ceremony  practised  by  the  Mahdans 
and  other  North  American  tribes,  to  the  faith- 
ful performance  of  which  the  Indians  attributed 
the  coming  of  the  Buffalo  to  supply  them  with 
food  during  the  year. 


best  habiliments  were  encamped  upon  the  shore,  I  was  only 
enabled  to  secure  the  portrait  of  one  chief,  for  as  soon  as  the 
camera  was  planted  in  a  position  to  secure  any  appropriate 
group,  the  whole  of  them  fled  into  the  surrounding  country. 
Of  this  chief,  however,  I  obtained  quite  an  excellent  likeness. 
"The  next  station  of  any  import  was  Fort  Pierre,  where 
we  found  several  hundred  warriors  of  the  Sioux,  with  their 
women  and  children;  we  were,  however,  unable  to  land  at 
this  point  on  account  of  the  low  stage  of  water;  we  therefore 
ascended  one  mile  higher  up  the  stream,  followed  by  the 
Indians  in  procession.  The  chiefs  formed  themselves  in  a 
circle  on  the  shore  opposite  the  boat,  their  women  and 
children  being  arranged  behind  them.  After  some  arbitra- 
tion, the  greater  of  their  warriors  came  aboard  to  confer  with 
the  agent,  but  like  the  tribe  who  had  visited  us  lower  down 
complained  of  the  military,  as  thereby  their  suspicious 
natures  were  aroused.  Of  these  savages,  I  obtained  as  many 
portraits  as  possible  unseen  to  them,  and  also  was  enabled  to 
catch  several  groups.  Of  these  latter,  however,  the  figures 
are  rather  too  small  on  account  of  the  distance  at  which  I  was 
obliged  to  stand  while  taking  them.  During  these  stoppages 
my  extra  time  was  occupied  in  trading,  as  before  starting  on 
my  journey,  I  had  supplied  myself  with  many  little  notions 
for  this  purpose,  I  was  enabled  to  procure  a  variety  of  curi- 
osities, costumes,  arms,  accoutrements,  etc.  In  the  afternoon 
we  continued  our  course  and  on  the  second  day  thereafter  we 
were  spoken  to  by  some  Indians,  and  according  to  the  duty 
of  the  agent  were  obliged  to  land.  We  had  scarcely  reached 
the  shore  when  some  300  savages  galloped  towards  us  in  a 
furious  manner  until  they  were  within  100  paces  from  our 
party,  when  they  suddenly  came  to  a  halt  and  fired  their 
flint  locks  over  our  heads.  You  can  imagine  our  fright  when 
we  heard  the  whistling  balls  over  us,  but  we  were  informed 
that  such  proceedings  were  intended  as  a  sign  of  friendship. 
Some  of  their  pieces  had  been  aimed  so  low  that  their  bullets 
took  effect  on  the  wheel-house  of  our  steamer.  The  Indians 
then  descended  from  their  highly  caparisoned  horses,  and 
then  there  was  a  great  council  formed  on  the  prairie.  The 
appearance  of  these  warriors  was  so  savage,  that  I  was 
actually  afraid  to  attempt  the  drawing  of  any  of  them,  and  as 
heretofore,  I  bethought  me  of  traffic.     Among  other  things  I 


had  in  my  pocket  a  double  looking-glass,  one  side  of  which 
magnified  very  largely,  this  I  offered  to  an  Indian  for  his  bow 
and  arrows.  He  took  the  glass  and  examined  it,  and  when 
he  saw  his  much  enlarged  head,  he  in  terror  threw  it  from 
him  and  fled  from  me  in  such  a  state  of  wild  excitement  that 
I  myself  was  fearful  lest  some  danger  might  result  from  the 
exhibition  I  had  made.  I  therefore  put  away  the  glass  with- 
out more  delay,  but  was  in  a  short  time  surrounded  by  the 
whole  tribe,  all  desiring  a  view  of  the  wonderful  apparatus  in 
my  pocket.  I  again  brought  it  forth  and  just  exhibited  to 
them  the  unmagnifying  portion  of  the  mirror,  and  then  with- 
out their  knowledge  suddenly  turned  it  with  a  like  effect  as 
before,  they  all  being  much  alarmed.  Finally,  however,  one 
of  the  savages  consented  to  give  me  for  it  in  exchange  a 
handsome  bow  and  quiver  full  of  arrows.  I  made  haste  to 
return  with  my  booty  as  quickly  as  possible  to  the  boat,  as  I 
believe  they  supposed  me  a  sorcerer,  and  the  lives  of  such 
are  in  danger.  When  I  arrived  on  board  it  was  not  long 
before  I  discovered  that  these  honorable  children  of  nature 
had  emptied  my  pockets  of  all  their  contents. 

"Our  next  destination  was  Fort  Clarke.  We  arrive  about 
seven  miles  therefrom  in  the  evening,  and  could,  had  it  been 
advisable,  have  reached  the  station  that  night,  but  were 
deterred  on  account  of  the  notorious  thieving  propensities  of 
the  Arickarees  who  occupy  this  vicinity.  Even  at  this  dis- 
tance from  the  Fort  the  Captain  preferred  to  anchor  a  short 
space  from  the  shore.  This  precaution,  however,  was  not  of 
much  avail,  as  we  had  been  observed  by  some  of  their  spies, 
and  a  short  time  after  midnight  the  Indians  surrounded  our 
craft  with  boats  made  of  buffalo  hides,  and  it  was  actually 
necessary  to  have  most  vigilant  sentinels  on  our  guards  to 
prevent  us  from  being  robbed.  This  tribe  is  known  to  be 
very  desperate  and  we  found  them  so.  They  became  very 
much  incensed  at  our  agent  and  fired  at  him  once  or  twice 
with  their  muskets,  a  ball  from  one  of  which  slightly  wounded 
him  in  the  foot.  The  appearance  of  the  military  produced 
such  excitement  that  I  could  only  procure  two  daguerreo- 
types, from  which  I  painted  without  their  knowledge  two 
portraits  of  their  chiefs.  After  we  had  remained  a  short  time 
the  Indians  appeared  to  become  more  quiet,  and  Mr.  Wikram, 
Capt.  Blandowsky  and  myself,  well  armed,  set  out  for  a  walk 

20 


THE  CAPTIVE  CHARGER 

Painted  while  Wimar  studied  in  Duesseldorf. 


' 


through  the  village.  Scarcely  had  we  arrived  there  when  a 
number  of  squaws  surrounded  us  and  exhibited  so  many  signs 
of  their  attachment  to  us  that,  for  the  time,  we  were  quite 
overpowered.  Fortunately  I  had  but  trifles  about  my  person, 
for  as  the  crowd  became  more  dense,  I  felt  their  hands  in  all 
my  pockets.  It  was  a  great  relief  when  a  party  of  our  men 
followed  and  delivered  us,  else  from  '  pure  Love '  we  would 
have  been  rifled  of  everything  we  possessed.  In  the  after- 
noon of  the  same  day  we  left  this  tribe,  and  arrived  in  a  few 
hours  at  the  village  of  the  Mandans,  a  tribe  which  has  been 
decimated  by  the  virulent  smallpox.  These  Indians  live  in 
huts  constructed  of  mud  or  clay,  and  their  warriors  in  all 
amount  to  but  64.  Though  small  in  number  they  are  regarded 
as  the  bravest  of  the  tribes.  We  only  remained  here  half  an 
hour,  and  then  continued  our  journey,  arriving  next  morning 
at  Fort  Berthold,  were  we  found  the  Grosventres  (big  bellies.) 
They  live  also  in  mud  huts,  after  the  manner  of  the  Mandans. 
I  was  cautioned  by  one  of  our  trappers  not  to  endeavor  to 
take  a  photograph  of  any  of  this  tribe  on  account  of  their 
superstitious  ideas,  but  the  groups  were  so  very  picturesque 
that  I  could  not  refrain  and  stayed  therefore  for  a  trial. 
Unfortunately  I  was  unable  to  hide  myself  from  their  keen 
vigilance,  for  one  of  the  chiefs  watched  my  proceedings  and 
uttered  a  few  words  to  his  people  which  had  the  effect  of  dis- 
persing them  immediately,  nor  would  they  again  reassemble 
until  the  photographic  apparatus  had  been  put  aside. 

"Our  Captain,  who  understood  the  Indian  language, 
attempted  to  explain  to  them  the  nature  of  my  proceedings, 
after  which  I  made  the  second  attempt,  but  as  soon  as  I  had 
planted  the  camera  they  became  so  incensed  that  they  aimed 
their  arrows  at  my  person,  which  you  may  imagine  caused 
me  to  desist  from  further  effort.  I  was  informed  afterwards 
that  it  was  the  belief  of  the  Indians,  that  had  I  secured  their 
portraits  they  would  have  perished  with  the  smallpox.  In 
order  to  obtain  any  pictures  I  was  obliged  to  stand  behind  a 
curtain  in  which  a  small  opening  was  made  through  which 
the  focus  of  the  camera  was  allowed  to  protrude. 

"It  was  so  arranged  that  we  always  continued  our  jour- 
ney during  the  night  when  we  were  in  the  Indian  country; 
therefore  leaving  the  last  mentioned  tribe  at  noon,  we  arrived 
four  days  later  at  Fort  Union,  which  is  seven  miles  above  the 

21 


mouth  of  the  Yellowstone.  We  were  now  2,500  miles  from 
St.  Louis,  which  we  had  traveled  in  about  31  days.  Here 
we  were  visited  by  several  bands  of  the  Assinniboines,  who 
regularly  receive  an  annual  present  from  the  Government. 
Our  boat  then  visited  the  site  of  a  new  fort  some  eight  miles 
higher  up,  and  we  then  commenced  the  return  trip.  My 
companions  and  myself  remained  for  a  short  time  at  Fort 
Union  making  the  necessary  preparations  for  a  journey 
further  up  the  Yellowstone.  Navigation  here  is  impossible 
by  steamboat,  and  we  were  obliged  to  build  special  crafts 
which  were  drawn  along  by  men.  You  can  easily  imagine 
the  labor  which  we  were  compelled  to  undergo,  when  I 
inform  you  that  it  was  necessary  for  us  all  to  exert  ourselves 
vigorously  to  move  the  boats,  the  whole  shore  being  so 
thickly  covered  with  underwood  and  brushwood  that  it  is 
almost  impassable  for  men,  much  less  for  horses;  at  the  same 
time,  to  add  to  our  inconvenience,  it  was  very  cold  and  very 
rainy.  There  were  53  men  in  our  little  band,  and  we  had  in 
our  keeping  besides  our  own  necessary  outfit,  the  goods  of 
the  Fur  Company  and  that  of  the  Agent  designed  for  Fort 
Sarpy,  which  lies  about  300  miles  up  the  Yellowstone.  This 
distance  we  accomplished  in  about  six  days.  During  this 
time,  our  principal  food  consisted  of  buffalo  meat;  we  con- 
sumed during  the  period  about  64  of  these  animals.  Each  of 
the  party  cut  from  the  carcass  that  portion  which  best  suited 
his  taste  and  prepared  it  for  his  own  use.  We  cooked  with- 
out seasoning  and  nothing  could  have  been  more  palatable 
than  this  food.  Notwithstanding  all  the  hardships  which  we 
endured,  this  was  decidedly  the  most  interesting  portion  of 
our  travels,  especially  the  hunting.  I  had  the  good  fortune 
on  one  occasion  to  kill  a  large  bear,  of  which  I  brought  home 
a  huge  paw  as  a  trophy  and  memento.  Herds  of  buffalo 
frequently  swam  the  river  in  front  of  our  boat,  crossing  often 
so  near  that  many  times  we  entertained  great  fear  for  her 
safety.  We  killed  often  many  of  these  animals,  and  gen- 
erally selected  for  food  the  female,  leaving  the  others  to  the 
wolves,  who  followed  our  track  in  great  numbers,  and  pre- 
vented many  times  our  sleep  by  their  prolonged  and  monoto- 
nous howlings.  During  the  night  we  had  a  regular  watch  to 
alarm  us  in  case  of  danger  from  the  Indians,  and  lighted  large 

22 


ABDUCTION  OF  DANIEL  BOONE'S 

DAUGHTER  BY  THE  INDIANS 

Painted  while  Wimar  studied  in   Duesseldorf. 


fires  around  our  camp  to  scare  away  the  bears  and  wolves, 
which  were  ever  on  the  scent. 

"Near  Fort  Sarpy  we  found  a  very  powerful  tribe  of  the 
Crow  Indians;  these  we  visited,  remaining  with  them  a  short 
time,  and  then  returned  down  the  river  in  a  boat  constructed 
from  buffalo  hides  to  Fort  Union,  where  we  took  our  oar-boat 
and  descended  still  lower.  As  there  were  but  eight  of  us  in 
the  return  party,  we  had  to  take  our  regular  duty  at  the  oars, 
often  traveling  only  at  night,  and  accomplishing  the  journey 
in  42  days. 

"I  finally  arrived  safely  in  St.  Louis  after  an  absence  of 
nearly  six  months  in  the  Indian  country." 

After  Wimar  had  made  a  couple  of  these  excursions,  the 
savages  learned  that  he  was  no  sorcerer,  and  began  to  look 
for  him  on  the  first  boat  of  the  season.  The  squaws  made 
head-dressess,  tobacco-pouches,  and  such  curious  articles  as 
they  knew  he  delighted  in  possessing.  He  was  so  gentle  in 
his  ways  that  these  implacable  haters  of  the  white  man 
actually  learned  to  love  him,  and  when  at  last  a  steamer 
arrived  with  the  intelligence  that  he  was  dead,  there  was 
sincere  mourning  among  those  who  were  wont  to  rejoice  at 
the  death  of  a  pale-face.  His  studio  was  a  perfect  museum 
of  Indian  curiosities,  and  at  the  time  of  his  death  he 
possessed  what  was  then  probably  the  best  collection  of 
Indian  weapons,  implements  and  costumes  in  the  country. 
Although  of  pure  German  blood,  he  had  many  of  the  physi- 
cal characteristics  of  an  Indian,  prominent  cheek  bones,  small 
eyes,  and  the  pigeon-toed  shambling  gait  of  the  American 
savage.  In  his  Indian  costume,  which  he  often  wore,  he 
would,  when  tanned  by  exposure,  easily  have  been  mistaken 
for  a  red  man.  In  fact,  I  have  been  told  by  a  German  who 
saw  him  daily  for  years,  that  almost  to  the  last  he  supposed 
him  to  be  at  least  a  half-breed.  But  here  the  resemblance 
stopped.  In  character  he  was  shy  and  reserved,  and  there  is 
something  marvelous  in  the  loving  remembrance  in  which  he 
is  held  by  those  to  whom  he  made  himself  known.  I  recall 
now  three  men  with  heads  frosted  by  time,  whose  eyes 
glistened  with  tears  when,  as  I  led  them  to  speak  of  Carl  and 
their  association  with  him,  they  came  to  his  pitiful  struggles, 
his  solicitude  for  his  mother,  his  gentleness  and   truth,  his 

23 


longing  to  live  so  as  to  complete  worthily  what  he  had  begun 
— and  this  many,  many  years  after  his  death. 

The  fate  of  the  warrior  who  was  Wimar's  companion  and 
friend  in  boyhood  is  so  tragic  that  I  cannot  withhold  the 
story.  Among  the  first  bands  of  Indians  taken  to  England 
for  exhibition  was  this  particular  chief.  He  had  never  seen 
the  ocean  and  was  unfamiliar  with  its  perils.  Soon  after 
leaving  Sandy  Hook  he  noticed  with  disgust  the  distressing 
manifestations  of  seasickness,  which  he  attributed  to  a  racial 
weakness  of  the  paleface.  With  haughty  stride  he  paced 
the  deck  unable  to  conceal  his  contempt  for  the  victims  of 
trial  de  mer.  As  the  ship  sped  her  way  on  the  broad  Atlantic 
and  caught  the  heaving  swell  of  the  mighty  deep  he  became 
conscious  of  a  new  sensation,  unspeakably  horrible.  He 
fought  against  it  with  a  fierce  resolve,  but  to  no  purpose,  and 
when  satisfied  that  he,  a  warrior  and  chief,  was  to  be  sub- 
jected to  the  same  degradation  as  palefaces,  he  drew  a  knife 
from  his  belt  and  plunged  it  into  his  heart  and  fell  dead  on 
the  deck. 

When  the  Civil  War  came,  for  a  time  it  seemed  doubtful 
which  way  the  scales  would  turn,  whether  to  the  side  of  the 
Union  or  to  that  of  Secession.  As  a  consequence  nearly  all 
business  except  that  relating  to  war  was  suspended.  In  those 
exciting  times  people  had  no  thought  of  pictures.  But  when 
it  became  apparent  that  St.  Louis  was  to  be  held  by  the 
Federal  Government,  confidence  was  in  a  measure  restored, 
and  money  began  to  circulate.  Wimar's  faithful  characteri- 
zations of  the  Indian  attracted  attention,  and  he  began  to 
receive  commissions,  and  when  it  became  manifest  that  con- 
sumption had  fastened  itself  upon  him,  people  were  more 
than  ever  anxious  for  his  works.  He  had  always  been 
desirous  first,  of  buying  a  home  for  his  mother,  and  second, 
of  securing  a  sufficient  sum  of  money  to  place  himself  above 
the  reach  of  possible  want.  Towards  the  last  he  was  impor- 
tuned to  finish  his  orders,  and  money  was  almost  thrust  upon 
him.  One  day  he  said  to  his  mother,  with  a  sad  smile, 
"Mother,  if  I  last  long  enough  I  shall  be  so  rich  that  I  can 
have  a  bank  account." 

In  1861,  March  7th,  Wimar  married  Miss  Anna  von 
Senden,  the  adopted  daughter  of  Mrs.  Dr.  Pulte.  Of  this 
union  one  child  was  born,  named  Wenona,  which,  however, 

24 


ATTACK  ON  THE  EMIGRANT  TRAIN 

Painted  in  Duesseldorf.  Common  scenes 
of  occurrences  on  our  Western  plains  half  a 
century  ago. 


died  in  early  childhood.     His  widow  later  married  Charles 
Schleiffarth,  and  is  still  a  resident  of  St.  Louis. 

The  only  public  work  left  by  Wimar  are  four  elliptical 
paintings  and  four  portraits  in  the  dome  of  the  St.  Louis 
Court  House.  Dr.  William  Taussig  was  chairman  of  the 
County  Commissioners  in  1861.  He  was  aware  of  the  great 
talent  of  Wimar,  and  resolved  that  he  should  be  employed  to 
do  the  work.  Some  of  the  Commissioners  wanted  to  let  the 
job  in  open  competition  to  the  lowest  bidder,  but  were  finally 
induced  to  leave  the  matter  to  a  special  committee,  consist- 
ing of  Dr.  Taussig  and  John  F.  Fisse,  who  beforehand  had 
resolved  to  give  the  work  to  Wimar,  who  entered  into  the 
project  with  great  enthusiasm.  When  consulted  as  to  his 
compensation  he  named  the  sum  of  $500.  His  health  was 
failing  and  he  was  often  in  want.  Realizing  that  the  amount 
named  was  much  too  small  the  Commissioners  named  $1000 
for  the  decoration  of  the  dome,  and  the  contract  was  let  to 
Wimar  and  his  half  brother,  August  H.  Becker,  a  noted  fresco 
painter  (Examples  of  the  skillful  and  artistic  work  of  August 
H.  Becker,  may  yet  be  seen  at  the  Merchants'  Exchange  hall 
and  many  of  the  older  public  buildings  and  residences  of 
St.  Louis.  He  died  in  1903.)  Thus  Wimar  received  only 
$83.33  for  each  of  the  twelve  important  pictures  that  he 
executed,  this  sum  also  including  Becker's  remuneration  for 
the  other  decorative  work. 

The  large  paintings  in  the  four  elliptical  panels  are 
"De  Soto  discovering  the  Mississippi,"  "Laclede  Landing  at 
the  Site  of  St.  Louis,"  "Indian  Attack  on  St.  Louis,"  probably 
in  1780,  and  "Westward  the  Star  of  Empire  takes  its  course," 
a  group  of  emigrants  moving  toward  the  Rocky  Mountains 
and  the  setting  sun,  a  herd  of  Buffalo  fleeing  before  them. 
It  will  thus  be  seen  that  Wimar  had  an  appreciation  of  what 
should  be  done  in  a  public  building  located  on  what  was  then 
almost  the  frontier  of  civilization  on  the  Continent.  In  the 
narrow  vertical  panels  he  painted  four  allegorical  figures, 
"Justice,"  "Solon,"  "Mercury,"  and  another  subject 
unknown,  as  years  after  they  were  obliterated  by  an  Italian 
decorator,  Miragoli,  who  was  permitted  to  paint  over  these 
designs  of  his  own.  Beneath  were  four  portraits,  Washing- 
ton, Martha  Washington,  Edward  Bates  and  Thomas  H. 
Benton. 

25 


The  story  of  the  execution  of  these  paintings  is  one  of 
infinite  pathos.  Wimar  was  slowly  dying  of  consumption. 
Toward  the  last  he  was  carried  to  the  Court  House  and  up  to 
his  scaffold,  where  he  was  placed  on  a  couch  upon  which  he 
could  rest  when  almost  fainting  from  fatigue,  and  then 
carried  home  at  night  after  his  day's  work.  On  returning 
home  one  evening  he  said  to  his  wife,  "This  is  my  last  work, 
when  the  dome  is  finished  I  shall  be  finished  too."  His 
words  were  only  too  true,  for  when  the  dome  was  finally  fin- 
ished the  brush  fell  from  his  hand  and  he  died  on  the  28th  of 
November,  1862.  It  is  a  great  pity  that  probably  because 
the  plaster  upon  which  the  dome  paintings  were  executed 
was  not  thoroughly  dry,  in  after  years  the  paint  began  to 
peal  off,  and  they  were  restored  probably  in  1888  by  Mr. 
Becker,  his  half  brother,  who  had  become  so  thoroughly 
embued  with  the  spirit  of  Wimar  that  he  reproduced  the 
pictures  with  great  fidelity,  only  retouching  the  ruined  por- 
tions of  the  originals. 

Again  in  1905  the  work  of  restoration  was  brought  up 
and  the  contract  let  to  Prof.  E.  H.  Wuerpel  of  St.  Louis, 
who  with  the  assistance  of  Mr.  James  Kelly,  a  well  know 
St.  Louis  restorer,  again  pretty  well  restored  the  paintings. 

Since  that  time  three  years  have  passed  and  the  pictures 
have  again  become  encrusted  with  grime  and  coal  soot,  and 
are  so  miserably  lighted  that  looking  into  the  dome  from  the 
first  floor  it  is  difficult  to  distinguish  the  subjects.  They 
should  again  be  thoroughly  cleaned  by  an  expert  and 
sufficiently  lighted.  It  is  to  be  regretted  that  the  pictures 
were  not  originally  painted  on  canvass,  framed  and  hung  in  a 
convenient  place  in  the  Court  House,  where  they  would  thus 
have  been  far  better  preserved  and  better  seen  and  appreciated. 

The  four  large  historical  pictures  have  been  recognized 
and  pronounced  by  many  of  the  highest  authorities  as  master- 
pieces of  their  kind,  and  they  have  given  the  name  of  their 
originator  additional  fame  through  the  high  praise  and 
expressions  of  admiration  lavished  upon  them  by  Art  repre- 
sentatives of  the  German  and  French  Governments  at  the 
Chicago  World's  Fair,  1893,  who  came  to  St.  Louis  especially 
for  the  purpose  of  seeing  his  pictures. 

It  is  perhaps  not  generally  known  that  Wimar  used 
different  kinds  of  colors  in  the  execution  of  the  Court  House 

26 


BUFFALO  CROSSING  THE  PLATTE 
RIVER 

Also  called  "The  Haunts  of  the  Buffalo." 
Fifty  years  ago  these  wild  animals  could  be 
seen  in  herds  of  thousands  roaming  over  our 
vast  northwestern  plains,  hunted  by  their 
enemies,  both  the  red  and  the  white  man. 
To-day  this  noble  animal  is  practically  extinct. 

Descriptive  Extract  out  of  Missouri  Repub- 
lican, October  2,  1871:— "A  herd  of  Buffalo  are 
moving  slowly  over  a  river.  To  the  left  are 
rocky  bluffs  and  a  river  vista  is  in  the  back- 
ground; the  sun  is  below  the  horizon  and  there 
is  a  crimson  glow  in  the  heavens  but  a  gloam- 
ing light  over  the  earth.  The  sky  perspective 
is  free  from  clouds  and  fades  in  quiet  and 
faintly  luminous  distance.  This  picture  has 
Wimar's  suggestive  color  effects  but  we  regard 
it  as  one  of  his  best  pictures,  viewed  at  a  proper 
distance  however,  there  is  a  harmony  in  its 
dusk  tints  and  a  charm  of  the  wilderness  about 
it  that  causes  the  eye  to  willingly  revert  to  its 
contemplation."  Exhibited  at  Annual  St.  Louis' 
Fair  in  1871,  by  Samuel  M.  Dodd. 


pictures.  Just  prior  to  the  last  restoration  Prof.  H.  C.  Ives, 
of  the  St.  Louis  Art  Museum,  made  a  careful  examination 
and  found  that  in  spots  water  color,  oil  color  and  gouache  had 
been  applied  and  all  blended  together.  This  process  is  said 
to  have  been  originated  by  Wimar,  who  used  it  to  produce 
his  beautiful  color  effects,  and  which,  through  its  use,  per- 
mitted him  to  reproduce  so  true  to  nature  the  peculiarly 
beautiful  color  tones  and  hues  found  in  the  mountains,  valleys 
and  plains  of  our  Western  country. 

Phillip  Gilbert  Hamilton,  writing  of  the  American 
pictures  in  the  Paris  Exposition  of  1878,  said,  "The  only 
objection  to  the  American  exhibition  is  one  which  has  been 
made  elsewhere,  namely,  its  curious  lack  of  nationality. 
European  influence  has  so  overpowered  the  American  native 
genius,  whatever  that  may  have  been,  that  on  entering  a 
room,  filled  with  pictures  all  painted  by  natives  of  the  United 
States,  an  Englishman  does  not  at  all  feel  as  if  he  had  crossed 
the  Atlantic;  it  seems  to  him,  rather  as  if  he  had  simply 
crossed  the  channel  and  found  himself  among  his  old  acquaint- 
ances of  the  European  continent.  This  of  course  may  be 
easily  accounted  for.  The  American  artists  learn  painting 
in  Europe  and  always,  or  nearly  always,  on  the  Continent,  so 
that  they  acquire  Continental  habits  of  work.  It  is  evident 
from  the  American  Gallery  at  the  Paris  Exhibition  that  the 
Americans  are  not  without  natural  artistic  aptitudes,  probably 
quite  as  good  as  those  of  any  nation  in  Europe,  but  as  yet 
they  are  the  too  docile  pupils  of  European  teachers,  and  give 
us  little  that  is  decidedly  and  originally  American." 

The  tendency  continues,  and  the  possibilities  for  some- 
thing distinctively  American  and  original  in  public  work  are 
still  overlooked.  This  is  illustrated  in  the  Capitol  of  one  of 
our  Western  states  recently  completed.  Architecturally  it  is 
a  fine  structure,  conceived  and  executed  with  rare  intelli- 
gence and  fidelity.  In  the  interior,  native  stone,  granite  and 
sand-stone  are  used  with  exquisite  effect,  illustrating  the 
resources  of  the  State.  When  it  came  to  the  decoration,  no 
parsimony  was  manifested,  but  a  number  of  the  foremost 
American  artists  were  commissioned  to  do  the  work.  What 
an  opportunity  was  here  presented  !  With  a  history  extend- 
ing back  to  the  Jesuit  Missionaries  and  the  Coureurs  des  bois 
from  lower  Canada,  the  numberless  contacts  with  Indians, 

27 


tragic  and  otherwise;  with  soldiers  in  the  Civil  War  who  by 
their  heroism  shed  luster  upon  the  American  name  for  all 
ages;  with  almost  unexampled  achievements  in  the  peaceful 
arts;  with  scenery  unsurpassed;  what  a  story  could  have  been 
told  of  evolution;  no  element  romantic,  tragic,  historic  or 
scenic  lacking.  What  was  accomplished  ?  Instinctively  the 
artists  turned  to  the  old  time-worn  paths.  Mythology  and 
allegory,  and  the  gods  and  goddesses  of  Olympus  were 
paraded  to  the  mystification  of  the  tax  payers.  Standing 
under  the  dome  I  saw  the  farmers  and  their  wives  gazing 
upward.  Said  one,  "Eziekel,  what  are  all  those  naked  men 
and  women  doing  up  there  ?  "  Eziekel,  was  unable  to  solve 
the  problem,  neither  was  I.  There  was,  however,  one  artist 
among  the  number  who  has  within  him  enough  of  artistic 
preception  and  Americanism  to  paint  in  all  of  its  barbaric 
splendor  a  great  historic  conclave  of  Indian  tribes,  held  in  the 
State  in  1859.  Fine  in  composition,  splendid  in  color  and  dram- 
atic interest,  it  was  withal  American  and  part  of  the  splendid 
history  of  the  State,  and  Mary  did  not  have  to  ask  Eziekel 
its  meaning.     The  name  of  that  artist  is  Frank  D.  Millet. 

For  more  than  three  hundred  years  the  history  of  this 
country  has  been  largely  that  of  conflict  with  the  Indian,  who 
roamed  the  entire  continent.  With  the  advent  of  the  white 
man  began  the  impressible  conflict,  which  in  the  United 
States  terminated  almost  with  the  nineteenth  Century.  The 
wild  Indian  and  the  buffalo  are  practically  as  extinct  as  the 
men  and  animals  of  the  stone  age.  As  graphically  expressed 
by  Parkman  in  the  last  edition  of  "The  Oregon  Trail" — 
"  Since  that  time  change  has  grown  to  metamorphosis.  For 
Indian  teepes,  with  their  trophies  of  bow,  lance,  shield,  and 
dangling  scalp-locks,  we  have  towns  and  cities,  resorts  for 
health  and  pleasure  seekers,  with  an  agreeable  society,  Paris 
fashions,  the  magazines,  the  latest  poem,  and  the  last  new 
novel.  The  sons  of  civilization,  drawn  by  the  fascinations  of 
a  fresher  and  bolder  life,  thronged  to  the  western  wilds  in 
multitudes  which  blighted  the  charm  that  lured  them. 

"The  Buffalo  is  gone,  and  of  his  millions  nothing  is  left 
but  bones.  Tame  cattle  and  fences  of  barbed  wire  have  sup- 
plemented his  vast  herds  and  boundless  grazing  grounds. 
Those  discordant  serenaders,  the  wolves,  that  howled  at 
evening  about  the  traveler's  camp-fire,  have  succumbed  to 

28 


INDIANS  PURSUED  BY  AMERICAN 
DRAGOONS 

Painted  while  Wimar  studied  in  Duesseldorf. 


arsenic  and  hushed  their  savage  music.  The  wild  Indian  is 
turned  into  an  ugly  caricature  of  his  conqueror,  and  that 
which  made  him  romantic,  terrible  and  hateful,  is  in  a  large 
measure  scourged  out  of  him.  The  slow  cavalcade  of  horse- 
men armed  to  the  teeth  has  disappeared  before  parlor  cars 
and  the  effeminate  comforts  of  modern  travel." 

The  productive  period  of  Wimar's  life,  after  his  return 
from  Duesseldorf  to  his  death  in  1862,  was  but  five  years, 
scarcely  long  enough  to  enable  him  to  obtain  a  firm  grasp 
upon  his  art.  A  short  five  years  of  bitter  struggle  with  pov- 
erty and  adverse  conditions,  yet  productive  of  works  which 
gave  him  the  distinction  of  being  the  first  to  discover  and 
worthily  utilize  the  supurb  possibilities  of  the  Indian  as  a 
motive  in  art.  It  is  most  strange  that  none  of  our  early 
painters  seemed  conscious  of  the  existence  of  the  Indian  save 
as  the  blood  thirsty  and  implacable  enemy  of  the  white  man, 
and  it  is  possible  that  race  hatred  blinded  their  eyes  to  his 
pictorial  value,  and  that  it  was  reserved  to  one  foreign  born, 
with  a  mind  unclouded  by  the  recollection  of  centuries  of 
relentless  warfare  to  perceive  with  an  artist's  eye  a  virgin 
field  unequaled  in  dramatic  and  pictorial  interest. 

Had  he  lived  to  mature  years,  with  the  patronage  and 
appreciation  which  was  his  at  the  moment  the  light  failed 
and  the  brush  fell  from  his  nerveless  fingers,  what  might  he 
not  have  accomplished  ? 

Of  the  generation  following,  a  few  men  of  talent  have 
successfully  trodden  the  path  blazed  by  Wimar,  but  none 
have  surpassed  him  in  the  wild  free  life  of  the  Indian  in  the 
trackless  West,  and  his  works  will  enhance  in  value  as  the 
wild  Indian  and  buffalo  become  a  faded  memory. 


29 


BILLY  BOWLEGS 

(HOLATAMICO) 

Fatuous  Seminole  chief,  who  in  July,  1839 
with  his  braves  ambushed  a  detachment  of  28 
men  under  Col.  Harney,  encamped  on  the 
banks  of  the  Coloosahatchee  River  in  the  Ever- 
glades of  Florida,  killing  nearly  all  his  men 
and  two  officers.  Col.  Harney,  who  afterwards 
became  a  general  in  the  Civil  War,  barely 
escaped  with  his  life. 


2 


LIST  OF  WIMAR'S  WORKS  AND 
THEIR  OWNERS 


Compiled  by  Charles  Reymershoffer,  Galveston,  Texas 
November,  1907 


Mrs.  Howard  Blossom, 
St.  Louis,  Mo. 


Buffalo  Hunt. 

Lord  Lyon's  picture,  being  replica  of 
"Buffalo  Hunt"  owned  by  the  Museum 
of  Fine  Arts,  St.  Louis.     Painted,  1860. 


August  A.  Busch, 
St.  Louis,  Mo. 


Abduction  of  Daniel  Boone's  Daugh- 
ter by  the  Indians. 

Started  in  Duesseldorf  in  1855,  on 
exhibition  at  the  Second  Annual  St. 
Louis  Fair,  October,  1857.  Original 
owner,  I  believe,  Jno.  A.  Brownlee,  St. 
Louis.  At  the  Loan  Exhibit  of  the  St. 
Louis  Mercantile  Library  Association, 
held  in  1871,  there  was  exhibited  by 
Jos.  LaBarge  a  picture  called  "Capture 
of  D.  Boone's  Daughter"  by  Wimar. 
This  may  have  been  the  Davis  picture, 
*'.  e.  "The  Canoe  Picture." 


A.  H.  Gale, 
St.  Louis,  Mo. 


Billy  Bowlegs.    Original. 

Noted  Seminole  chief  exhibited  at  the 
Tenth  Annual  St.  Louis  Fair,  1870,  by 
Pettes  &  Leathe.  Exhibited  also  at  the 
St.  Louis  Exposition  Hall,  1890. 


St.  Louis  Museum  of  Fine 
Arts,  St.  Louis,  Mo. 


The  Wounded  Buffalo. 
Painted  1859. 

Buffalo  Crossing  the  Yellowstone. 
Painted  1859. 

Buffalo  Hunt. 
Painted  1860. 

Indians  Approaching  Fort  Benton  on 
the  Upper  Missouri. 
Painted  1859. 

31 


Mrs.  Anna  Schleifiarth, 
St.  Louis,  Mo. 


Indians  Camped  on  the  Missouri. 

Mouth  of  the  Milk  River  or  Indians 
Crossing  at  the  Mouth  of  the  Milk 
River. 

Bear  on  Dead  Elk. 

Billy  Bowlegs. 

Replica  by  Wimar.  Original  owned  by 
A.  H.  Gale.  Still  another  in  existence 
in  St.  Louis,  being  a  copy  of  Wimar's 
pictures  by  Aug.  Becker. 

Lost  Trail  or  War  Trail. 

This  is  a  photograph  painted  in  water 
colors  by  Wimar  of  original  oil  painting 
by  Wimar,  owned  by  Wm.  Lucas,  burned 
in  the  Pettes  &  Leathe  fire,  1882.  Insured 
for  $12,000.  Copy  in  oil  by  Aug.  Becker, 
owned  by  Mr.  Gustav  Cramer,  of 
St.  Louis. 

Portrait  of  Prof.  E.  Leutze. 

Three-fourth  figure,  29  x  40  inches. 
Wimar's  master  and  painter  of  the 
famous  picture  ' '  Washington  Crossing 
the  Delaware."  This  is  a  replica  of  a 
Leutze  Portrait  by  another  artist  copied 
by  Wimar  in  1854. 

Mrs.  Schleiffarth  owns  an  excellent  por- 
trait in  oil  of  the  artist  Carl  Wimar, 
painted  I  believe  by  Cogswell. 


Mrs.  Jos.  Dickson, 
St.  Lotus,  Mo. 


Battle  Between  American  Dragoons 

and  Indians. 

Painted  in  Duesseldorf  1855.  Obtained 
first  premium  for  best  animal  painting 
exhibited  in  the  Harding  collection  at 
the  16th  Annual  St.  Louis  Fair  of  1876 
in  competition  with  a  Troyon  and 
others. 


Geo.  Warren  Brown, 
St.  Louis,  Mo. 


The  North  and  South  Joining  Hands. 
Original  sketch  (pastel)  from  which 
Wimar  made  a  painting  for  a  large 
panel  on  the  wall  of  restaurant  located 
on  Walnut  Street  between  Second  and 
Third  Streets. 

32 


FORTS  OF  THE 

PIERRE  CHOUTEAU,  Jr.,   FUR 

COMPANY 

From  a  Drawing  Made  by  Wimar 


Mrs.  Letitia  R.  Garrison, 
London,  England. 


The  Captive  Charger. 

Painted  in  Duesseldorf.  Passed  from 
Frank  Ridgely  to  Samuel  Dodd,  who 
had  it  on  exhibition  a  great  many  years 
at  the  Mercantile  Library.  Mr.  Dodd 
sold  it  in  1885.  Sold  at  private  auction 
at  Pettes  &  Leathe  to  a  New  York  man 
for  over  $3000.  An  unsigned  copy  of 
this  picture,  painted  by  a  man  by  the 
name  of  Hassett  formerly  in  the  employ 
of  Pettes  &  Leathe  is  now  owned  by 
A.  A.  Selkirk  of  St.  Louis.  Another 
copy  signed  Wimar  painted  by  a  Ger- 
man artist  is  now  owned  by  Mrs.  Mary 
A.  Cooke,  St.  Louis. 


Mrs.  Rosa  Becker, 
St.  Louis,  Mo. 
Widow  of  Emil,  Brother 
of  Aug.  Becker. 


Sleeping  Child. 

Painted  when  Wimar  was  18  years  old. 

Portrait  of  Emil  Becker  and  His 
Dog  Dash. 
Painted  1850. 

Portrait  of  Wimar's  Mother. 

Mrs.  Becker  also  has  a  fine  portrait  in 
oil  of  Carl  Wimar  painted  by  his  friend, 
C.  Nevels  in  1868. 


Chas.  D.  McClure, 
St.  Louis,  Mo. 


Council  Fire. 

War  Trail. 

Three  Indians  on  Banks  of  a  Creek. 


Mrs.  fas.  G.  Brown, 
Bloomfield,  N.J. 
Widow  of  Sain' I M .  Dodd's 
Partner. 


A  Single  Buffalo. 


Mrs.  Carl  W.  Bredemeyer, 
St.  Louis,  Mo. 


Portrait  (  Life  Size  )  of  C apt.  Blandow- 
sky,  Wimar's  Friend. 


Samuel  Cupples, 
St.  Louis,  Mo. 


Buffalo  Crossing  the  Platte- 

Also  referred  to  as  "Haunts  of  the 
Buffalo"  and  "Buffalo  Crossing  the 
Yellowstone."  Painted  in  1859.  At 
one  time,  I  believe,  the  property  of 
Samuel  Dodd  and  F.  F.  Espenschied, 
City  Treasurer. 
33 


Mrs.  John  T.  Davis, 
St.  Louis,  Mo. 


Prairie  Fire. 

Buffalo  Dance. 
Painted  1860. 

Capture  of  Daniel  Boone's  Daughter 

by  the  Indians. 

Canoe  picture  48x54  painted  in  Dues- 
seldorf  very  likely  1853.  (Think  Wimar 
got  his  idea  for  this  composition  out  of 
Cooper's  world  famous  Leather  Stock- 
ing Tales. — C.  R.)  There  were  two  pic- 
tures exhibited  under  this  name  at  the 
Second  Annual  St.  Louis  Fair  1857. 
Exhibited  in  Pettes  &  Leathe  collection 
(Canoe  picture)  at  the  Tenth  Annual 
St.  Louis  Fair  1870.  Also  exhibited 
under  this  name  by  Jos.  LaBarge  in 
1871  at  the  Mercantile  Library  Associa- 
tion (perhaps  the  Raft  picture.)  Again 
exhibited  at  the  Loan  Exhibition  of  the 
St.  Louis  Museum  of  Fine  Arts,  1881  by 
John  T.  Davis.  At  the  opening  of  the 
Exposition  Hall  in  1884  this  picture  was 
again  exhibited. 


Ferdinand  Diehm, 
St.  Louis,  Mo. 


Castle  of  Heidelberg. 


Mrs.  Dr.  O.  E.  Forster, 
St.  Louis,  Mo. 


Buffalos  at  Drink. 

Painted   especially  for   the  Western 
Sanitary  Fair,  held  in  St.  Louis  in  1864. 

Flatboat  Scenes  During   Moonlight 
on  the  Mississippi. 


Walter  Weickert, 
St.  Louis,  Mo. 


Three  Large  Portraits. 

Of  Mr.  Pfaff  (an  old  St.  Louis  resident) 
Mr.  Pfaff's  mother  and  his  wife.  All 
fine  portraits. 


Mercantile  Library  Ass'n 
St.  Louis,  Mo. 


Portrait  of  Robert  Burns,  the  Scotch 

Poet. 

A  Pastel.  Painted  for  the  Burns  Cele- 
bration in  St.  Louis,  1862,  of  the  Bard's 
centenary  birthday.  Voted  to  the  Mer- 
cantile Library  Association.  This  por- 
trait was  lost. 

31 


Mrs.  Edgar  Miller, 
St.  Louis,  Mo. 


ATTACK  ON   AN   EMIGRANT  TRAIN. 

Painted  in  Duesseldorf  1854.  One  of 
the  first  pictures  Wimar  sent  to  America. 
Was  bought  by  Gov.  Hamilton  R. 
Gamble  (father  of  Mrs.  Miller.) 
This  picture  was  exhibited  at  the 
St.  Louis  Annual  Fair  in  1869  and 
obtained  the  first  prize.  Was  also  exhib- 
ited in  the  Retrospective  Exhibit  of 
American  paintings  at  the  World's 
Columbian  Exposition,   Chicago,  1893. 


Mrs.  Reid  Northrop, 
St.  Louis,  Mo. 


Indians  Around  a  Camp  Fire. 

Sold  to  Mr.  R.  Northrop  by  Wm.  H. 
Howe,  the  great  cattle  painter. 


Mrs.  Lda  C.  Grant, 
St.  Louis,  Mo. 
Daughter  of  Aug .  Becker. 


Head  of  a  Dog. 

Head  and  Bust  of  a  Hai^f  Breed. 
Mrs.  Grant  has  a  number  of  Indian  and 
animal  paintings  the  work  of  her  father 
Aug.  Becker.  Some  are  copies  of 
Wimar's  works  and  sketches.  Among 
these  the  principal  one  is  a  copy 
of  "Attack  on  an  Emigrant  Train." 
(Copy  of  the  picture  in  the  East,  not  the 
Miller  picture.)  Mrs.  Grant  also  has 
three  fine  Indian  heads  painted  by  Aug. 
Becker. 


Mrs.  Claire  Becker, 

St.  Louis,  Mo. 

Widow  of  Wimar  Becker. 


No  Finished  Work  of  Wimar. 

An  unfinished  "Attack  on  an  Emigrant 
Train"  (Wimar's  work.)  Copy  of  the 
picture  sold  in  the  East  in  1860  or  1861. 
One  or  two  other  unfinished  works  of 
Wimar  and  a  number  of  original  Wimar 
sketches  in  oil  and  crayon.  Also  has  a 
number  of  finished  pictures  by  the  hand 
of  Aug.  Becker. 


Chas.  C.  Crecelius 
St.  Louis,  Mo. 


Portrait  of  Cromweei,. 
Painted  about  1851. 

Blindman's  Buff. 
Painted  about  1851. 

Entrance  to  the  Jeddo  River. 
Painted  about  1851. 


85 


Chas.  H.  McKee, 
St.  Louis,  Mo. 


Wm.  H.  Bofinger, 
New  Orleans,  La. 


Indian  on  Horseback. 

Sold  about  two  years  ago  by  Chas.  H. 
McKee  through  Noonan  &  Kocian  (pur- 
chaser unknown.) 

A  Ride  for  Life. 

Indian  on  horseback.  Formerly  owned 
by  his  brother  the  late  Capt.  Bofinger 
of  St.  Louis. 


Charles  Reymershoffer, 
Galveston,  Texas. 


Buffalo  Hunt  by  Indians. 

Original  painted  for  Henry  T.  Blow  of 
St.  Louis.  Then  passed  to  his  daughter, 
Mrs.  J.  C.  LeBourgeois,  then  to  her  son, 
J.  C.  LeBourgeois,  Jr.,  then  to  Herbert 
Wadsworth  of  Washington,  D.  C.  and 
finally  to  Charles  Reymershoffer.  Size 
54x89,  painted  1861. 


Wm.  H.  Howe, 
Bronxville,  N.  Y. 
Noted  Cattle  Painter. 


Buffalo  Hunt. 

Painted  in  Duesseldorf,  size  14  x  16. 


Mrs.  Jas.  F.  How, 
St.  Louis,  Mo. 


The  Lost  Trail. 

Bought  by  Mrs.  How's  father,  Capt. 
Jas.  Eads,  years  ago.  In  all  probability 
the  subject  is  treated  differently  than  in 
the  picture  that  was  destroyed  by  fire. 


Mrs.  Julia  Blanke, 
St.  Louis,  Mo. 


Discovery  of  Boone's  Camp. 
Painted  in  Duesseldorf,  1853. 

On  the  Alert. 

Indian  Chief. 


Jas.  W.  Garneau, 
St.  Lotas,  Mo. 


Buffalo  Bull  Pursued  by  Wolves. 
Painted  in  1861.     Now  on  exhibition  at 
McCaughen  &  Burr.     (For  sale.) 


In  the  East,  Boston 
Perhaps 


Attack  on  the  Emigrant  Train. 

Subject  is  treated  altogether  different 
than  in  picture  of  same  title  owned  by 
Mrs.  Miller.  This  picture  was  evidently 
sold  to  some  Eastern  party  in  1860  or 
1861.  It  was  also  painted  in  Duessel- 
dorf. Mrs.  Ida  Grant  has  a  finished 
copy  of  same  painted  by  her  father, 
Aug.  Becker. 


St.  Louis  Court  House. 


Indian  Attacking  Village  of  St.  Louis. 
North  panel. 

Landing  of  Laclede. 
East  panel. 

DeSoto  Discovering  the  Mississippi 
River. 

South  panel. 

Westward  the  Star  of  Empire  Takes 
Its  Course. 
West  panel. 

Portraits  of  Washington,  Martha 
Washington,  Edward  Bates  and 
Thomas  H.  Benton. 


Owned  in  New  York. 


Buffalo  Head. 

About  20  x  28.   In  possession  of  Noonan 
&  Kocian.  (For  sale.) 


/.  F.  Petrie, 
Or  Descendents, 
St.  Louis,  Mo. 


Early  Portraits. 

Exhibited   St.    Louis   Exposition    Hall 
1890. 


C.  F.  Mathey  and 
Gus.  V.  Mechin, 
St.  Louis,  Mo. 


Indian  Heads. 
Oil  Sketches. 


Storage  House  in 
New  York. 


Battle  Between  Hector  and  Achilles. 
Painted  in  Duesseldorf .  This  is  said  to 
be  a  very  large  canvass  and  located  in 
New  York  in  the  hands  of  some  picture 
dealer. 


Residents  of  St.  Louis,  Mo. 


A  Number  of  Portraits 

exist  painted  by  Wimar  in  possession  of 
the  older  St.  Louis  citizens,  especially 
older  German  residents. 


37 


446094 


UNIVERSITY  of  CALIFORNIA 

AT 

TOS  ANGELES 


-^jru.'Jmk  ***■••  **- 


